Dozens from U.S. on list of targets as terrorists - W.House national security adviser 24 Jun 2010 Dozens of Americans have joined terrorist groups and are posing a threat to the United States and its interests abroad, the president's most senior adviser on counterterrorism and homeland security said Thursday. "There are, in my mind, dozens of U.S. persons who are in different parts of the world, and they are very concerning to us," said John O. Brennan, deputy White House national security adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism. In a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Times, Mr. Brennan said he would not talk about lists of targeted American terrorists. However, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been tracking down U.S. nationals and U.S. passport holders who pose security threats, he said.

US drone kills two in NW Pakistan 26 Jun 2010 A US drone attack has killed two militants and injured two others in Pakistan's northwest tribal belt, on the border with Afghanistan, security officials say. The drone reportedly targeted on Saturday a house near Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region. "It was a US drone strike. The drone fired one missile on a house and the house was completely destroyed," an intelligence official in Miranshah told AFP.

FBI/DHS Attempt to Seize Colorado Indymedia Server and Silence Our Users By Ringo 24 Jun 2010 On Jun 17, Colorado Indymedia was contacted by Special Agent Adam Kowalski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)/Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As part of an "ongoing investigation" by Federal Protective Services, they attempted to seize the Colorado Indymedia server, believing that we kept logs (such as IP address access logs) that could identity users on our site... We told the FBI that "Colorado Indymedia does not retain this [identifying] information because we strongly believe in the First Amendment right to free, anonymous speech." [I'm glad Colo. Indymedia (essentially) told the DHS to go f*ck themselves. They spend so much time on the CLG site, they should pay a portion of our webhosting bill. --LRP]

Burned Alive - Help Stop BP from Torching Endangered Sea Turtles (Center for Biological Diversity) 25 Jun 2010 Endangered sea turtles are being burned alive as part of BP's careless oil spill cleanup efforts. This is unacceptable. These rare, important turtles are becoming trapped in the oily surface of the Gulf and then torched by cleanup crews in "controlled burns" of corralled oil -- any wildlife caught inside the corral are literally burned alive. Take action below right now and send this to your friends. Tell BP to stop torching endangered sea turtles.

Gale force winds could leave Gulf oil gushing for 2 weeks 25 Jun 2010 Gale force winds days away from the Gulf of Mexico spill site could force at-sea workers to abandon their oil-collection efforts for two weeks, the head of the national response effort said Friday. That timetable would conservatively unleash another half-million barrels of oil back in the sea -- twice the Exxon Valdez spill. Using upper-end federal estimates of the leak, 840,000 barrels would gush out. That's 35 million gallons.

Dick Cheney Hospitalized in Washington 25 Jun 2010 Former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney was admitted to the hospital Friday after experiencing discomfort. Cheney, 69, was not feeling well on Friday and went to see his doctors at George Washington University. On their advice, he was admitted to the hospital for further testing. Cheney was expected to remain at George Washington University Hospital over the weekend, said spokesman Peter Long.

Bank stocks soar on financial regulation agreement 25 Jun 2010 Bank stocks shot higher Friday after an agreement on a financial regulation bill reassured investors that new rules won't devastate financial companies' profits. Banks outdistanced the rest of the market after congressional negotiators agreed on a bill that increases the regulation of financial companies, but that doesn't include some of the harshest provisions that the government originally proposed.

Police given greater arrest powers near G20 security zone --Province quietly passed regulation that gives police the right to search and arrest anyone who refuses to self-identify near zone 25 Jun 2010 The government of Ontario quietly designated the entire G20 security zone as a “public work” nearly a month ago under a little-used act that vastly expands police arrest powers. The move means anyone entering, or even approaching, a designated area can be searched without a warrant. All the streets inside the security fence in Toronto, where the summit is being hosted, have been temporarily designated under the Public Works Protection Act.

'Obama fired McChrystal to rid 2012 rival' 25 Jun 2010 Rush transcript of Press TV's interview with former US Senator and presidential candidate Mike Gravel on the controversy surrounding the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanly McChrystal. Press TV: How damaging has this whole episode been for the US-led mission in Afghanistan? Gravel: I do not think [it has been] damaging at all. You have to keep in mind that the strategy for Afghanistan was developed by General [David] Petraeus, who was the commander of McChrystal. Now, McChrystal was merely the thug, I use the word 'thug' advisably because the reputation with McChrystal is of course the secret special ops, which were a lot of assassination teams. So, McChrystal was merely the henchman that was bringing about the strategy. But, there is an unusual benefit that occurs politically that I don't think is appreciated by anybody on the scene. That is that Petraeus was looked upon as a possible presidential candidate on the Republican side, opposing [US President Barack] Obama when he runs for re-election. Now, Petraeus was distanced from Afghanistan, and so, very cleverly, President Obama has demoted Petraeus and put him in charge of Afghanistan. So, if a failure takes place as I presume it will by 2012, the failure will be owned as much by Petraeus negating his ability to be a viable presidential candidate and will benefit Obama.

In Afghanistan, 3 more US-led troops die 25 Jun 2010 Three more US-led soldiers have been killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan as the death toll for foreign forces in the volatile country continue to set new records. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said one of the soldiers was killed in a militant attack in eastern Afghanistan on Friday. Another died in an explosion in the south of the country on Thursday.

Blackwater is a busy little bee! Police find 11 beheaded bodies in Afghan south 25 Jun 2010 The bodies of 11 men, their heads cut off and placed next to them, have been found in a violent southern province of Afghanistan, a senior police official said on Friday. A police patrol discovered the bodies on Thursday in the Khas Uruzgan district of Uruzgan province, north of the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, said police official Mohammad Gulab Wardak.

Banks 'Dodged a Bullet' as Congress Dilutes Rules 25 Jun 2010 Legislation to overhaul financial regulation will help curb risk-taking and boost capital buffers. What it won’t do is fundamentally reshape Wall Street’s biggest banks or prevent another crisis, analysts said. A deal reached by members of a House and Senate conference early this morning diluted provisions from the tougher Senate bill, limiting rather than prohibiting the ability of federally insured banks to trade derivatives and invest in hedge funds or private equity funds. [Banks dodging bullets - what a shame!]

Swine flu risk 'was vastly over-rated' by World Health Organisation 25 Jun 2010 Threats of a swine flu pandemic were 'vastly over-rated' by the World Health Organisation, an inquiry has concluded. The Council of Europe last night also accused the UN's health arm of 'grave shortcomings' in the process that led it to declare a pandemic last year. Plummeting confidence in health advice could prove 'disastrous' in the event of a severe future pandemic, parliamentarians at the Strasbourg-based senate said.

Council of Europe calls for WHO flu handling probe 24 Jun 2010 The Council of Europe called Thursday for a probe into the World Health Organisation's handling of the H1N1 swine flu outbreak, which it said led to unjustified scares and waste of public money. A council parliamentary assembly identified "grave shortcomings" about WHO transparency about its position on the flu, "generating concerns about the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on decisions taken," a statement said. The session adopted a text that says there was "overwhelming evidence that the seriousness of the pandemic was vastly overrated by WHO". Paul Flynn, British author of a report endorsed by the assembly, told the session that the WHO's June 11, 2009 declaration of a H1N1 pandemic had enabled the pharmaceutical industry to reap large profits.

Source: N.Korea set no-sail zones off west coast 25 Jun 2010 A South Korean official says North Korea banned boats off its west coast though no unusual military movement has been detected. The official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff also said Friday that South Korea is closely monitoring the North's military. He declined to give further details and asked not be named as the matter involves military intelligence.

Vast amounts of methane in Gulf spill pose threat 18 Jun 2010 Vast amounts of natural gas contained in crude escaping from the blown Gulf of Mexico oil well could pose a serious threat to marine life by creating "dead zones" where oxygen is so depleted that nothing lives... At least 4.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas -- and possibly almost twice that amount -- have leaked since April 20. That's based on estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey's "flow team" that 2,900 cubic feet of natural gas are escaping for every barrel of oil. "This is the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history," said John Kessler, a Texas A&M University oceanographer.

Attacks targeting Iraqi forces kill at least 10 24 Jun 2010 A spate of attacks targeting Iraqi security forces and their allies killed at least 10 people on Thursday, half in suicide bombings in the northern city of Mosul, officials said. The worst of Thursday's violence came at a police checkpoint in the western al-Shefah neighborhood in Mosul, a city long considered 'al-Qaida's' last stronghold in Iraq.

Homeland Security to use drones along border 24 Jun 2010 The Homeland Security Department will use unmanned surveillance aircraft and other technological upgrades in its ongoing effort to 'protect' the southern border of the United States. The department said Wednesday it has obtained Federal Aviation Administration permission to operate unmanned planes along the Texas border and throughout the Gulf Coast region. Customs and Border Protection will base a surveillance drone at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas.

Police questioning in G20 zone leads to complaints 24 Jun 2010 There were signs of mounting tension between police and protesters Thursday afternoon as uniformed officers continued to question people walking through Toronto's so-called security zone ahead of the G20 summit... Const. Tim Garland, spokesperson for the Integrated Security Unit, said a regulation had passed giving police authority to question anybody coming into the restricted zone from June 14 until June 28, the day after the summits are scheduled to end.

Man with astonishing array of weapons including crossbow and chainsaw is arrested near G20 summit in Toronto 25 Jun 2010 This is the chilling array of weapons that were found in a car just a block from where David Cameron is meeting with world leaders including Barack Obama at tomorrow's G20 summit in Toronto. The car was loaded down with dangerous tools ranging from a chainsaw, crossbow, baseball bat, petrol containers, a sledgehammer and a hatchet. Its owner, a 53-year-old man, was arrested last night. Police said he had 'no reasonable explanation for the weapons that we observed were in physical plain view'.

Supreme Court decision casts doubt on former Enron CEO's conviction 25 Jun 2010 The Supreme Court on Thursday gutted one of federal prosecutors' favorite tools for pursuing corrupt politicians and self-dealing corporate chiefs, casting doubt on the convictions of two prominent executives snared by the law: former Enron chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling and newspaper magnate Conrad Black. All nine justices said prosecutors have stretched too far a federal statute that makes it a crime to deprive the public or a company of the "intangible right of honest services."

CIA hires notorious Xe in Afghanistan 24 Jun 2010 A report indicates that the US has hired a notorious private security contractor terrorist group to guard its facilities in Afghanistan and elsewhere despite Washington's rejection of the claim. An unnamed source told the Washington Post on Thursday the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) signed a USD 100 million contract with Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide. "It's for protective services... guard services, in multiple regions," the source said.

Illegal Sarah Palin defense fund must give back donations 24 Jun 2010 A legal defense fund for former [Half] Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was illegal and must repay nearly $400,000 to donors, according to a settlement with a state-appointed lawyer announced on Thursday. While governor, Palin faced some two dozen ethics complaints, which she said left her with a legal bill of more than $500,000. Her political action committee raised a fund to pay for her defense.

Multiple G20 security arrests in Toronto 24 Jun 2010 Canadian police made a third arrest on weapons charges in Toronto Thursday as the city gears up for this weekend's G20 summit. An suspect whose name was not reported was arrested Thursday near the site of the summit with five gas cans, pellet guns, a crossbow and explosives in his car, CNN reported... Two others were arrested this week on explosives charges.

Republicans kill Senate jobless aid measure 24 Jun 2010 Republicans on Thursday defeated Democrats' showcase election-year jobs bill, including an extension of weekly unemployment benefits for millions of people out of work more than six months. The 57-41 vote fell three votes short of the 60 required to crack a GOP filibuster, delivering a major blow to President Barack Obama and Democrats... The rejected bill would have provided $16 billion in new aid to states, preserving the jobs of thousands of state and local government workers and providing what White House officials called an insurance policy against a double-dip recession Bush depression.

Ice Bear Project (WWF-Canada) 24 Jun 2010 The Ice Bear, a life-sized polar bear sculpture carved from 10 tonnes of ice covering a 500 kg bronze skeleton, will be displayed in downtown Toronto on June 25 and 26, in time for the G20 Summit. The Ice Bear is intended to raise public awareness about the need for political leadership on climate change. The sculpture will slowly melt over the weekend to reveal its bronze skeleton.

Miles of oil washing up in Florida Panhandle --Pensacola Beach got the worst wallop so far in Florida from the spreading Gulf of Mexico slick, with eight miles of sticky oil arriving on the area's pristine sands. 23 Jun 2010 The worst blow yet to the Florida coastline from the growing oil spill struck Wednesday in an eight-mile line of thick, sticky goo that stained the pristine sands of this Panhandle community. Workers spent the day raking up the chocolate-brown oil mats and tar patches that washed ashore, and the state ordered road graders to lift the gunk from the once-white beaches.

Green Party blocked from Texas ballot 24 Jun 2010 Gov. Rick Perry's close friend and former chief of staff tried to help Green Party candidates get on the general election ballot this fall as part of a larger effort by outside groups that state District Judge John Dietz declared "an unauthorized, illegal contribution" Thursday. The judge granted the Democratic Party a temporary restraining order to block Green Party candidates from being certified for the November ballot. Democrats contended that a petition drive to put Green candidates on the ballot was actually an effort to help Perry, a Republican, by diverting votes from his Democratic challenger Bill White.

Judge refuses to delay ruling on Gulf drilling ban --Judge's 2008 financial disclosure shows holdings in at least eight petroleum companies or funds that invest in them, including Transocean Ltd., which owned the Deepwater Horizon 24 Jun 2010 A federal judge who overturned a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed after the Gulf oil spill refused Thursday to put his ruling on hold while the government appeals. The Justice Department had asked U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman to delay his ruling until the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans can review it. Feldman rejected that request Thursday.